WASHINGTON — Just think, folks. In a couple of weeks Iowa will be just another cold Midwestern state, not the central focus of the bizarre world of politics.

As the rest of us try to blot out the zany world of Washington and the creepiness of the presidential race by immersing ourselves in holiday spirit, the people of Iowa have to decide what they’re going to do on Jan. 3 when they tell their friends and neighbors whom they prefer. Paul? Gingrich? Romney? Santorum? Bachmann? Huntsman? Perry? None of the above?

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